On October 28, 2024, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services reported a fatal case of Lassa fever in a patient who had recently returned from a trip to West Africa. There have been eight travel-related Lassa virus cases in the United States in the past 55 years, and the last imported case was reported in 2015.
Lassa fever is an acute, febrile illness caused by the Lassa virus and is endemic in parts of West Africa, including Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. In West Africa there are between 100,000 and 500,000 cases of Lassa fever, and approximately 5,000 deaths related to the disease, every year.
Learn more about the ongoing situation in the full Situation Report from NETEC or their recent press release. Additionally, access NETEC’s Personal Protective Equipment and Biocontainment Guide for Lassa Fever, and additional Lassa Fever resources on the NETEC website.